They arrived in VW vans and old cars, on buses and motorcycles, and forged a vibrant alternative community that ultimately transformed regional politics, mainstream culture, and LGBTQ+ history.
The hundreds of lesbians who migrated to Eugene, Oregon from the 1960’s-80’s launched dozens of collective businesses that were typically considered to be in the male domain: construction, car repair, recycling, tree planting, printing presses, a natural food distribution company. They founded cooperative restaurants, bookstores, and martial arts studios. They created and toured with lesbian dance companies, choruses, theater, and comedy troupes. They produced and disseminated lesbian magazines, photographs, films, and art. A number were plaintiffs on key lawsuits that successfully challenged discriminatory statewide Oregon statutes.
And they provided support services and advocacy for victims of domestic violence, women needing reproductive health and abortion services, and unhoused community members. Verité footage, intimate interviews, and a stunning archive of photographs and footage, music and artworks, reveal a distinctly lesbian challenge to mainstream culture that created change for the benefit of everyone.